Service (**): Polite and conversational, but repetitive and a bit confusing, as we had two servers working our table.

Ambience (**1/2): Dining room is comfortable and attractive, but the feel does not extend to the rest of the restaurant yet.

Personality (**1/2): Fits well into the downtown scene, though it still has the feel of a place that is somewhat of a work-in-progress.

Overall rating: **1/2

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When I was in college, the Bayou Cafe was a post-midnight stop, the downtown Albany bar you somehow always found yourself at after many hours on the town.

Maneuvering through the over-served crowd packed into every inch of the sprawling brick-walled space at the corner of Columbia and North Pearl streets was an agonizing exercise in patience and perseverance. The sight of a hulking bouncer yanking an unruly patron into a full nelson and dragging him out to the sidewalk was not uncommon. Though the fact it was an eatery was built into its name, it took me several trips to realize the Bayou Cafe actually served food.

But the Bayou is gone, and The Hollow Bar & Kitchen is here. And in less than six months, new owner Mike Philip, formerly of Jillian's, and head chef Henry Ciccone have crafted an inviting, amber-lit dining room and artisan-style menu that will wash one clean of Miller Lite-soaked memories.

Schooled at home in classic Italian cuisine by first-generation parents and later with Jim Rua at Capriccio Saratoga, Ciccone has drifted from his roots to create affordable fare that appeals to both theatergoers looking for a gastropub-esque dinner before a show at the Palace or Capital Rep and others looking to down wings and mozzarella sticks during "Monday Night Football." Being such, some menu items are oddly juxtaposed, with chicken tenders and quesadillas listed just left of lemon-and-thyme chicken salad with house-pickled carrots and skin-on wild salmon served over herbed quinoa.

Ciccone's Mediterranean skill with tomatoes is still evident, pronounced even in three-bean stout chili he smears on a pile of nachos. Thick with garbanzo, kidney and black beans, roasted garlic and simmered in Guinness, a slow-roasted, rustic fruit taste manages to pleasantly overwhelm.

A similarly savory flavor comes through in the eggplant stack. One of the few traditional Italian items here, both fried and roasted aubergines are heaped among toothsome zucchini, covered with Fontina and ricotta and plopped into a hearty pool of chunky tomato sauce.

A pasta special changes regularly. Ciccone's creations are simple, ranging from tagliatelle with asparagus to gnocchi with brown butter and grilled mushrooms, the first dish his father taught him to make.

In an attempt to further divorce The Hollow from the space's past, Ciccone and Philip serve house-made cocktails with freshly muddled fruits and have carefully constructed a stellar craft beer list that includes 20 brews on tap, another 30 in bottles and even a handful of cans of Butternuts Beer & Ale, brewed in Otsego County. (The Bayou had 32 drafts available, but this list is better curated.)

A smooth, dark-roasted oatmeal stout with strong notes of chocolate is made exclusively for The Hollow by Davidson Brothers Brewing in Glens Falls. Try it as part of a four-glass flight of 6-ounce samplings along with some of the more exotic drafts, a steal at $8.

The Hollow is attractively priced, with no entree running more than $18 and most falling into the $9 to $15 range. Dinner for two — with a pair of appetizers, soup, two entrees, two flights, dessert, a bottled beer and glass of wine — came to $110 after tax and tip. That could be considered splurging here. A board of hummus and roasted red pepper salad with naan bread, a burger and a couple drinks runs about $30.

The namesake "Hollow" burger is just $10 and comes with a tall mound of crisp fries. Topped with a fried egg, tomato, lettuce and habanero ketchup, the handmade patty tasted of quality grass-fed beef, but it was dry for medium rare. I left regretting not sampling the pasta special or tempeh burger instead, which is just $9 and smothered in roasted vegetables and sweet-potato barbecue sauce.

For all that's been accomplished here, The Hollow very much has the feel of a place still trying to find its footing in the downtown landscape, and Ciccone is fiddling with the menu to see what works and what does not.

Low-hanging ambient bulbs fitted around mason jars hang from the towering wood ceiling to illuminate the dining room, creating a hip and cozy space. The sprawling back bar area, however, is still as dark and cavernous as the Bayou left it. Ciccone and Philip say they plan on installing better lighting and banquettes in the back soon. Considering that only two dozen people can sit in the small dining room, this should be a priority before The Hollow's patios close for the season. The wide-open brick space is still used several times per week for live music.

We had two servers working our table. Polite, attentive and engaging, they also repeatedly asked us the same questions and didn't seem to communicate much with one another.

But as downtown looks to re-establish itself and compete with the budding scene in Troy, The Hollow appears as though it's an asset for Albany and will only improve. Seceding from the space's deep-seated late-night reputation was the hardest part, and this is clearly already a place where good food and good drink come first.